Multiple Czech dishes make new ranking of the world's worst foods

Two Czech dishes have cracked the top 25 in the new Taste Atlas list of the world's worst foods, which was updated earlier this month. The list is based on user ratings for a variety of traditional foods across the world.

The two Czech dishes ranked 27 and 28 when the list was first published last weekend, but have since moved up in the list and swapped positions; rankings reflect their positions at time of writing, but are likely to change.

A Czech Christmas classic has the honor of representing the country's worst-rated dish, as rybí polévka (fish soup) now comes in at number 21 on the Taste Atlas list. Traditionally served at Christmas, the soup is made with carp, preparing diners for a main course of fried carp and potato salad.

"This hearty fish soup is usually cooked with carp’s head, bones, and innards, while the body is fried and enjoyed as the main course," reads the Taste Atlas description. "A staple in every Czech household, rybí polévka is often garnished with a hefty amount of fresh parsley, and it is recommended to serve it hot."

Taste Atlas users rate rybí polévka a solid 2.5 out of five stars, coming in just behind the traditional Polish czernina soup, which is made with duck or goose blood preserved in vinegar, and now ranks number 20.

But another Czech dish comes in right behind: rýžový nákyp (rice pudding), which was also rated at 2.5 stars and now appears at number 22 on the Taste Atlas list. While most often translated as rice pudding, rýžový nákyp is baked until it fully sets, differentiating it from creamy versions in other cuisines.

"It is usually made with cherries or peaches, and the fruit is occasionally dispersed between the layers of rice," says Taste Atlas. "Although it is a sweet dish, it is mostly eaten as a second course or as the main dish."

While rýžový nákyp can often be described as bland or dry, it's an odd inclusion next to the truly controversial fish soup; some of the Czech Republic's other dishes might have made a more representative addition.

In the last Taste Atlas list of the world's worst dishes, dated June 2022, two different Czech dishes ranked in the top 30: nudle s mákem, a sweet pasta dish made with noodles and poppy seeds, and dršťková polévka or tripe soup, a popular hangover remedy made from stewed tripe, vegetables, and spices.

Both dishes rated 3.2 stars on Taste Atlas, indicating a possible change in local tastes over the past year.

What's the world's worst food? Russia's Indigirka Salad, a Siberian dish made with diced frozen fish, topped the list when it was promoted last weekend, but it has since been supplanted by Hákarl, the traditional Icelandic dish made from fermented shark.

Check out the updated list of the world's worst foods at Taste Atlas, where you can also vote for your own favorite (and not-so-favorite) dishes. In case you're curious, the Moravian cake Valašský frgál currently ranks as the top-rated Czech dish on Taste Atlas with a 4.6 rating.